Plot or Premise

With Sue Grafton’s death, there will be no Z book, so this is the last official Kinsey story. In it, she looks back at a cold case where four rich students filmed the rape of a young girl, someone stole the tape and was murdered, a court case sent two to jail, and the ringleader skipped town. Fast-forward, one of the jailed ones is out of prison, and he receives a copy of the missing tape with a blackmail demand. The parents want Kinsey’s help to ensure they only pay once, or ideally, not at all.

What I Liked

As with previous cold cases, the story bops back and forth between the past and the present. Unlike the previous books, the jumps back don’t seem as jarring, and the “kids” in the past seem realistic. Angst, jealousy, bravado, all of it. 

What I Didn’t Like

The story drags a bit in the present getting to the end, and the premise of all the kids in the present still being in contact together is really far-fetched. The explanation of what exactly happened in the past for the murdered girl was great right up until the murder. And the epilogue is extremely unsatisfying.

The Bottom Line

A good last book, not an awesome one.